In order to continue living up to Audi’s “Vorsprung durch Technik” (“Progress through Technology”) slogan in the future, the Board of Management spent the past few months formulating the company’s new “Vorsprung 2030” strategy.With a firm date now set for the company’s transition to e-mobility, the brand with the four rings is resolutely tackling its transformation. Audi embraces its role as a pioneer and driver of innovation in the automotive industry. “‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ remains necessary because we can only solve many of the world’s major problems, such as carbon emissions and global warming, through the use of clean technologies. We view ourselves as a company that guarantees the freedom and individual mobility of our customers,” emphasized Duesmann. That is why Audi is focusing on zero-emission drive systems. “We don’t simply develop technology for its own sake. It must be consequential and effective in keeping the world moving.”
Speaking at the “Corporate & Business” theme day during the Audi Media Days event in the run-up to IAA 2021, the CEO will be taking questions from the international press on September 1, 2021, including: What is Audi’s vision? How will the company change in the coming months and years in order to continue to drive technological progress and position itself for the future? What is the company doing to implement additional internal processes that promote further innovation? And what innovations and products can customers look forward to in the coming years?
Development of the new “Vorsprung 2030” strategy
“Vorsprung durch Technik” has defined Audi’s DNA for 50 years. To ensure that this doesn’t change, Audi’s chief strategist Silja Pieh and her team developed a new process for creating a sustainable and forward-looking corporate strategy. Together with around 500 Audi employees from across hierarchical levels and from major markets such as China and the United States, she spent months analyzing more than 600 global trends in the mobility sector through 2030 that could become relevant to the company. This resulted in strategic areas of activity which the team discussed and evaluated in depth together with the Board of Management. Some of the insights are obvious – sales and profits will gradually shift, for example, initially from vehicles with combustion engines to electric cars, and later, when autonomous driving offers additional growth potential, to software and services.
“One thing our entire team finds extremely encouraging is that many employees and the Board of Management are already deeply committed to the issue of sustainability. We want to further emphasize responsible business practices in the future and rigorously adhere to them,” explained Pieh. The new strategy focuses on profitable growth and differentiation – and provides guidelines for prioritizing strategic areas of activity. This involves a number of different components, such as employee training, the corporate culture, and a new corporate management system all working in tandem.
In addition to the plan to phase out the internal combustion engine, more strongly differentiating Audi’s all-electric vehicles from the competition through quality and design as well as increasing the added value for customers play an important role. This includes a seamless ecosystem for electric and autonomous driving. As of result of the changes, Audi will be in closer and more frequent contact with their customers in the future, with new digital and physical offerings,” says John Newman, head of digitalization at Audi.
Audi will also more closely align business success with sustainable activities on the basis of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria. These criteria include climate change mitigation and the protection of finite resources, occupational health and safety, social responsibility, and corporate governance practices related to compliance and risk management. Pieh points out that the strategy process isn’t finished, but is instead an ongoing development process: “The world and especially the transportation sector are rapidly evolving. We will respond to changes even more quickly and with greater flexibility in the future.” As part of the group’s integrated planning process, Audi will regularly analyze and, if necessary, refine its strategic framework.
The automaker wants to prove that it is indeed possible to reconcile premium individual mobility and an uncompromising commitment to sustainability. Together with the Volkswagen Group and its other brands, Audi intends to play a leading role in the new mobility world. In its transformation toward e-mobility and software, the group’s concentrated creative power represents a decisive competitive advantage. In July, the Volkswagen Group redefined its priorities with its NEW AUTO strategy, which clearly supports the successful implementation of “Vorsprung 2030.”
Martin Primus, General Secretary of AUDI AG, believes the advantage of this strategic vision is that it allows all of the company’s employees to focus on the upcoming challenges – both within the brand and across the entire brand group with Bentley, Lamborghini, Ducati, and Italdesign. Setting this course early on gives the Audi team the necessary clarity and sufficient time to complete the transformation. A restructured, strong foundation will facilitate its implementation financially, organizationally, and in terms of human resources.
Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com
